BRIDGEPORT — Neighbors are invited to a morning of "art and peacemaking activities" at a workshop hosted by Indira Johnson and the Chicago Park District.
The event takes place 10 a.m.-noon on Saturday at McGuane Park, 2901 S. Poplar Ave. It's free to attend.
Johnson is the artist behind the Ten Thousand Ripples project, which is better known as those Buddha head statues that were installed throughout the city, including at Bridgeport's Palmisano Park.
But Saturday's conversation is also part of Ten Thousand Ripples, which aims to turn everyday residents into "ambassadors of peace, arts and culture" through community conversations and public art.
Johnson will also lead a workshop on Saturday where participants will create their own symbols of peace.
Born in India, Johnson is the daughter of a social activist mother and a father who authored a biography of Gandhi. The self-described peace activist message of "nonviolence through art" earned her a "Chicagoan of the Year" designation by Chicago Magazine.
On her website, Johnson said much of her inspiration comes from "transitory, ritualistic Indian folk art practices which I've used to address issues of labor, domestic violence, nonviolence and health education, adapting them to operate within contemporary experiences thus evolving a hybrid version of the original traditions."
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